Toy soldiers are great. This year we’ve had some proper bangers, beautiful designs and sculpts, brilliant centrepiece models and great updates to ageing units (looking at you, Clanrats). It’s been difficult to whittle down so many great releases to just tenWarhammerkits that best represent our hobby in 2024, but I’ve made a pact with the plastic gods in order to bring you a definitive, objective, and completely biased ranking of this year’s releases.
Recently, I’ve been of the opinion thatGames Workshophas excelled with itsAge of Sigmardesigns and leftWarhammer 40Klagging behind. But interestingly enough the split between the fantasy and sci-fi ranges is very nearly even. That wasn’t intentional at all, just a happy coincidence.
Without further ado, here are TheGamer’s Warhammer models of the year.
10Clawlord On Gnaw-beast
Games Workshop’s biggest release of the year was Age of Sigmar 4.0.Skaventidestreamlined the rules, rejuvenated the Skaven range, andeven made Stormcast cool.
But it wasn’t the warriors of Sigmar who piqued my interest, and the Clawlord on Gnaw-beast was my favourite ratman in the ratbox. I was so excitedI converted some smaller counterpartsbefore it was even released, but nothing came close to the majesty of the real thing.
9Kroot Lone-Spear
I’m honestly shocked that theKroot Lone-Spearfalls this far down my list. An alien riding an axolotl? This kit was a joy to put together and a chance for 40K to show its creativity for once.
Weird 40K is better than boring 40K any day. But there were so many other great kits that the axolotl narrowly avoids the wooden spoon.
8Krethusa The Croneseer
I’m not entirely sure what Krethusa the Croneseer is, but I don’t care. She’s got wings that Sanguinius would kill for, hair that Fulgrim would kill for, and a killer pose to boot.
This miniature is proof that Workshop can still tell great stories with just one model. Look at it and tell me you don’t feel the aura of evil dissipating into the air around you.
7Stormcast Prosecutors
They did it. They finally did it. The new Stormcast designs are killer, and the winged Prosecutors lead the pack for me.
I don’t really care for Age of Sigmar’s bigger beasts (one large exception to follow), so Iridan the Witness and the Lord-Vigilant on Gryph-stalker don’t really do it for me either. But three angels descending from heaven to enact brutal justice on a horde of sapient rats? Yes please.
If I’m being completely honest, the Prosecutors are only this high up the list because the trident makes them feel like they’re from Atlantis or something.
6Brood Terror
What was I saying about Age of Sigmar’s big models? Do excuse me. I’ll be honest, I’m mostly a fan of this kit because I love how Iconverted it to a unique Dark Mechanicus beastie. I did tell you this was going to be biased.
5Warriors Of Rohan
I’m always overjoyed to see more Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game love, and the new sculpts are impressive. No longer do we just stick a foot to a base and call it done, these models come with multiple parts and weapon options.
TheRohan Warriors are a personal favourite(although may have been usurped by the Hill Trolls if I’d been able to get my hands on them in time), as they bring the ageing range up to date with modern digital sculpting. I hope to see more support for MESBG going forward. Are you listening, Workshop?
4Night Lords Kill Team
I’ve never felt the pull of Chaos more acutely than this year. While the unreleased-but-recently-announced Emperor’s Children are certain to convince me to take the plunge, it all started with the Night Lords.
One of the best upgrade kits Games Workshop has ever produced, the cloaks made of skin and chainswords made of ribcages give this unit so much personality. All of the Kill Team units have been great this year, but the Night Lords are comfortably the best.
3Thanatar Siege-Automata
I love big robots. This isthe best big robot. For my favourite faction. What more can I say? Bronze medal.
2Krootox Rampagers
Ilovethis kit. I’ve got no particular affinity for Kroot, but the energy and momentum sculpted into these beastly behemoths is mighty impressive. If I’m being more specific, this entry is dedicated tothe one Rampager that is balancing on one foot. It doesn’t feel wobbly on the base, it’s sturdy when dropped (yes, I dropped it), and yet it looks so good. Models sculpted with this much effort are so much easier to paint.
I had the Rampagers at the top of my list pretty much all year until I looked back at my collection and realised that one model managed to eclipse them. I’m as surprised as you are.
1Ushoran, The Summer King
Wow. I mean, wow. Ushoran isa straight-up Dark Souls villain, a creature so foul, abominable, and delusional that he exudes an aura of dismay from every pore. I may haveconverted him into a Skaven Verminlord, but I’m half tempted to pick up another one to paint up normally, despite the fact that I don’t give a jot about the rest of the Flesh-eater Courts range.
Ushoran looks imposing, but the real excitement comes in the details. His cloak arrives in about five pieces, layers of leather and hide building on one another to create that hunched pose. The jewellery, the bony crown, the skeletal remains hiding in the creases of his clothes and scattered on the floor. This miniature has it all, and deserves the title of Model of the Year for 2024.
